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STRASBOURG — Ursula von der Leyen pledged to form a gender-balanced European Commission — but it's looking like an uphill battle.

And some EU officials are bracing for the possibility that a standoff over appointments could even delay the new Commission from taking office on November 1, as envisioned under the EU treaties.

Von der Leyen, who was confirmed as the next Commission president by a vote in the European Parliament on Tuesday, was unequivocal in declaring her intent to achieve gender parity in the College of Commissioners, one of a litany of promises she made to MEPs.

"Today, I am launching my call again for leaders to present the best candidates as European commissioners as possible," she said at a news conference moments after the vote results were announced. "And I want to see as many men as women around the College table."

Von der Leyen said in meetings with parliamentary groups last week that she wants every EU country to present both a male and a female nominee to be commissioner.

But three countries — Austria, Greece and Slovenia — have since defied her, by presenting just one nominee — a man. Others did the same before von der Leyen announced her plan — and show no signs of reconsidering.

“The Irish government welcomes indications that appointments will be gender balanced. And that the high level appointments announced so far have also taken account of gender and other factors like geography," Helen McEntee, Ireland's European affairs minister, said in a statement to POLITICO.

But McEntee made clear that Dublin would not go back on its decision to nominate Phil Hogan, the current agriculture commissioner, for another term in Brussels.

"The Irish nomination for the EU Commission is settled,” she said.

In interviews with European newspapers published on Thursday, von der Leyen did not repeat her insistence on a male and a female nominee from every country. But she restated her commitment to a gender-balanced Commission. "The only thing I see as fixed is that we will have just as many women in the College as men," she told one group of newspapers.

More men

To get a sense of the challenge facing von der Leyen, it helps to run through those already nominated for the next Commission.

At the very top, the women start out ahead, with von der Leyen the first female president-elect and Margrethe Vestager of Denmark in line to be one of her two top deputies, alongside Frans Timmermans of the Netherlands.

After that, the numbers quickly tilt heavily to the men, beginning with Spain's Josep Borrell, who has been tapped as the high representative for foreign affairs, and the Commission's current chief spokesman, Margaritis Schinas, who was put forward by Athens on Thursday to be the next Greek commissioner. Also on Thursday, Slovenia nominated another man — Janez Lenarčič, its current ambassador to the EU.

Then there are Austria, Ireland, Latvia and Slovakia, who have all said they want their current male commissioners to return for a second term. If names matter, that's Johannes Hahn, Phil Hogan, Valdis Dombrovskis and Maroš Šefčovič, respectively.

Scorecard: Gents 8; Ladies 2.

Now add in the nominee of Luxembourg, Nicolas Schmit (whose selection was part of the government's fragile coalition agreement), and of Hungary, László Trócsányi, a former justice minister currently serving as an MEP. Make that Gents 10, Ladies 2 — with 16 slots left to fill (if the U.K. is still in the EU when the next Commission takes office).

Bulgaria has said it wants Mariya Gabriel, the current digital commissioner, to stay on. Estonia has nominated Kadri Simson, a former minister of economic affairs, and Finland has proposed a former finance minister, Jutta Urpilainen, closing the gap slightly at 10 to 5.

If everyone sticks to their current nominees, von der Leyen would need at least nine of the remaining 13 countries to nominate women to achieve gender parity in her Commission.

Female politicians from Poland, Sweden, Romania, France and the Czech Republic have been floated as possible choices for commissioner posts but they are by no means guaranteed to get the nod. And even if they do, that would only go some way to solving the problem.

Timmermans 'hopeful'

Timmermans, asked on Thursday if a College balanced perfectly among men and women is achievable, seemed more focused on the fact that he had proposed such equity during his own campaign for the EU's top job, as nominee of the Social Democrats.

"Well, I think this is something I also promised in the electoral campaign," Timmermans said, arriving at a General Affairs Council meeting, and apparently forgetting for a moment that the campaign was done and dusted. "I see that Ursula von der Leyen has the same line, saying to member states: if you put forward candidates, put forward at least two, of which at least one is a woman."

"I hope we will get there," Timmermans said, returning to the immediate question at hand. "I think it’s important. It's an important signal. It's already very good that we have a female president of the Commission, but it’s an important signal if we can get ... if we can show to the rest of Europe that we mean business when we talk about equality.”

The entire venture may be open to question, given that scientists have long proven that gender is not binary, and equality and equity can be measured in many different ways. In an EU context, that often means looking at political party affiliation, geography and demography.

And while it seems for now each EU country will continue to have one commissioner in the College (current President Jean-Claude Juncker has called for reducing the overall number), not every Commission portfolio is equal.

Already, based on demands from the capitals, EU officials are joking that the next College could be comprised of 14 commissioners with economic responsibilities, and perhaps as many as 26 vice presidents.

But Amélie de Montchalin, the French state secretary for European affairs, said that skeptics doubted the leaders on the European Council would achieve parity in filling the bloc's top four jobs and that they had proved the naysayers wrong with the quartet of von der Leyen, Borrell, European Council President-elect Charles Michel of Belgium and the French nominee to run the European Central Bank, Christine Lagarde.

"Gender equality was not seen as realistic for the four top jobs that the European Council had to propose," de Montchalin said. "We managed it, and I can tell you from having been here during these long nights and days, that we do not lack competent, skilled, European, energetic female profiles."

"So the question is not a lack of profile," she added. "The question is indeed what Ursula von der Leyen said: It's a question of putting the criteria very clearly at the beginning, being very strict in following them, and be able then to deliver. I think it's realistic. I think we can find 14 good, European, motivated, courageous women in Europe to lead Commission jobs, to be commissioners."

Then, acknowledging that Paris is among the capitals as yet to put forward a name, de Montchalin said she could not reveal any spoilers but that the Elysée is mindful of von der Leyen's goal.

"On the French side, you know, we are not normally — and you've seen — we are not in a position where we lack female profiles," she said. "So I cannot tell you who we will propose, that's not my role today. But you can be sure that we are supporting Ursula von der Leyen in this objective."